On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers will call in a selection of players for pre-draft workouts at their practice facility in El Segundo, California.
With a stroke of luck that resulted in Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak popping open a bottle of champagne, the Lakers landed the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. Along with that pick, the Lakers also hold a late first round pick that arrived in the trade for Jeremy Lin last summer and the team's early second round draft pick.
On Tuesday, the Lakers will begin to work out prospective draftees, and another round of workouts follow on Thursday. Kupchak also expects to speak to the collective LA sports media for the first time since acquiring the No. 2 overall pick, though the G.M. will likely keep his detailed thoughts on the Lakers' top selection closely guarded.
After a couple seasons with limited tradable assets and even less salary cap space, Kupchak and the Lakers have options in 2015. According to Kupchak in a recent internet radio interview, the No. 7 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, Julius Randle, looks back to being healthy following a broken leg suffered in his first official game as a professional. Add in a promising rookie season for Jordan Clarkson that resulted in the combo-guard becoming the first Lakers player to make the All-Rookie First Team in 20 years, and the Lakers have attractive young players and attractive draft picks.
In short, the Lakers have a future.
The more patient approach would involve using the three picks in the draft, developing Randle and Clarkson while building around the No. 2 pick, which should end up being Jahlil Okafor, Karl-Anthony Towns or D'Angelo Russell. More than likely, the Lakers will take either Okafor or Towns, depending on which big man Minnesota picks with the no. 1 overall pick.
With the patient approach, the Lakers will likely miss out on the playoffs for the third straight season. However, Kobe Bryant's weighty contract will come off the books in the summer of 2016, so a year of developing young talent combined with a big enough budget to attract three big time stars could quickly propel the Lakers back into being contenders for the long-term.
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The first group of prospects to go through workouts with the Lakers this season. pic.twitter.com/b9cHWlWFs9 — Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) May 26, 2015
More than likely, though, the Lakers will look to trade at least one of their three draft picks and hope to sign a big time free agent or two this summer. Former UCLA Bruin Kevin Love is likely a target for the Lakers on a maximum contract, and the Cleveland Cavaliers star appeared unsettled alongside LeBron James for most of the season. With the Cavs on the cusp of the NBA Finals and Love out due to injury, the Lakers' chances of landing the rangy forward would appear to be higher than before the forward sustained a shoulder injury in a first-round series against the Boston Celtics.
Rajon Rondo is another free agent linked with the Lakers. Rondo's recent injury history combined with a flame out in Dallas should provide the Lakers the opportunity to sign the veteran at a discount. In a perfect world, Rondo would be on a discounted short-term contract to partner with Bryant, who has openly recruited the former Boston Celtics point guard to the purple and gold.
Starting July 1, the Lakers can begin to negotiate with current free agents, but actual contracts cannot be signed until the second week of July.
Until the NBA Finals wrap up, though, the Lakers can do little more than work out draft prospects for the June 25 NBA Draft. Expect a great deal of draft workouts in the near future, and Tuesday is simply the first day in what promises to be a rather eventful summer for the purple and gold. Stay tuned.
